This invention relates to (a) a treatment of a meat/protein-containing material before thermal processing and (b) a process for aseptically processing and packaging such material to become shelf stable. More specifically, this invention relates to a process for aseptically processing and packaging meat such as, for example, beef, pork, poultry (for example, chicken, turkey, duck, and goose), lamb, and goat, as well as shellfish and fish protein, and the resulting aseptically-packaged product.
Through the years, a wide variety of techniques have been developed for storing food products. Among these techniques are freezing, canning, irradiation, and drying. Also, attempts have been made in the past to store food products using aseptic packaging.
Aseptic packaging allows food products to be stored at room temperature for extended periods of time without spoiling or degradation of the product. These benefits are the result of processing the food product to destroy any sources of decay such as thermophilic spores or other pathogens. The product is then placed in protective packaging which has also been made aseptic. This packaging, when sealed, provides a barrier against oxygen and light as well as any later possible invasion by harmful organisms or pathogens.
Aseptic packaging techniques have been effectively used to package vegetable matter. However, attempts to package meat and fish protein using aseptic techniques have been commercially unsuccessful. In many cases, the processed protein is unpalatable. Also, previous attempts (to aseptically package meat/protein have not removed fat or water from the product) have resulted in little benefit compared to other food storage techniques.
Therefore, a need still exists for a process for aseptically packaging protein which will result in a high quality, commercially useful protein source, which has high digestibility and palatability.